August 2010

Webinar Series Concludes with CCX Announcement

Summit Launches Two 802.11n ExpressCards

TKIP Deemed Insufficient for PCI DSS

Software Innovation Opens DFS Channels

Summit Makes Splash in Healthcare Market

Summit Makes Splash in Healthcare Market

Today, most Summit radios are used in mobile computers and other automated identification and data collection (AIDC) devices. Those devices are used in a variety of environments that present challenges to secure, reliable network connectivity.

One such environment is hospitals. The use of AIDC devices in hospitals is growing, thanks to applications such as pharmaceuticals management. Hospitals are expanding their use of Wi-Fi not just for AIDC devices but for a broad range of computing devices and even some medical devices.

According to ABI Research, the use of Wi-Fi technology in healthcare grew 60% globally in 2009. Worldwide sales of Wi-Fi technology into the healthcare market are expected to reach $4.9 billion in 2014. More than 500,000 Wi-Fi infrastructure endpoints, or access points (APs), are expected to be implemented in U.S. healthcare facilities this year, representing a 50% increase from 2009.

Connecting medical devices to a hospital's Wi-Fi network improves workflow on both the clinical path and the financial path. With networked devices, a hospital delivers better care to more patients while billing those patients, and their insurance companies, quickly and accurately. Networking medical devices also enables technicians to monitor and manage those devices from a central point of control.

Hospitals pose challenges to secure and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity because:

  • Hospitals require high security for the transmission of sensitive patient information.
  • The hospital environment includes objects that reflect Wi-Fi signals and objects that absorb Wi-Fi signals.
  • Patients are mobile, often being moved to different floors.
  • Hospitals seek to monitor and manage devices from a central point of control.
By providing market-leading range, interference mitigation, robust security, mobility, and centralized management, Summit Wi-Fi solutions address all hospital Wi-Fi connectivity challenges. Today, Summit Wi-Fi solutions operate in hospitals not just on AIDC devices but also on computers-on-wheels (CoWs) and a few medical devices. Summit is working with medical device manufacturers that recognize the need for secure and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity in hospitals. Target medical devices for Summit solutions include infusion pumps, patient monitors, and portable EKG and ultrasound machines.

Here are some ways that you can learn more about Summit solutions for medical devices and other devices that operate in hospitals:

  • Visit www.summit4med.com, which focuses on Summit solutions for medical.
  • See Summit at the Medical Device Connectivity Conference in San Diego September 28-29. Summit is a Platinum sponsor of the event, and Summit VP of Sales and Marketing Chris Bolinger will be giving the presentation "Demystifying Wi-Fi".